


The Stars See It All

by TheVioletThread



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crushes, F/F, Kisses, meeting at a bar, rose and jasper are only mentioned, the bad exs, they both think the other is really cute, this is sort of love at first sight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 23:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10501386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVioletThread/pseuds/TheVioletThread
Summary: Pearl never imagined she'd fall in love in such a cheap, dirty bar.  But now here she is.





	

Pearl couldn’t get rid of the bitter taste inside her mouth.

Perhaps it had something to do with the feeling of despair that seemed to rule over her life currently. She took another swallow of her drink.

She wasn’t entirely sure what the drink was, but it was alcohol, it would numb her feelings, and that was all that she wanted at the moment.

Rose’s words still echoed in her mind. Pounding straight through the base of her skull.

_Pearl, I know you care, and I care too. But I - can’t- I don’t -_

Don't care.

Never cared.

Pearl twisted at the ring that she had always wore on her second finger, staring down at it. It was a simple thing, just a plain metal band, with a tiny stone embedded in the center.

Rose Quartz.

She remembered the day she put it on.

_Pearl, come look at this! Gemstone rings! And there’s even a pearl one too!_

A matching pair.

She wore the rose quartz, and Rose, who always found the entire thing ever so entertaining, wore a pearl. She vaguely wondered if Rose wore the ring still.

She continued to twist the ring around her finger.

It had been six months.

Six months since Pearl, brave and emboldened by her college acceptance letter, and by the newfound freedom that she would soon have from her parents, went to Rose’s house and told her.

Told her in one bright, beaming moment, that Rose was far more than a friend to Pearl. That she always had been.

Rose’s eyes had been confused. She hadn’t understood.

But Pearl, stupidly, idiotically, hadn’t taken it back. She had only plowed harder on.

Wild and determined with bravery and stupid hope, she had kissed Rose.

Pearl stopped twisting at the ring on her finger.

Suddenly she couldn’t stand the feeling of the metal against her skin. She blinked once before yanking the thing off.

The stone glinted and glimmered in the dim lights of the bar. She exhaled, and dropped the ring into her drink.

She watched the ring fall to the bottom.

“That bad, huh?” said a voice from behind her.

Pearl turned, to see a girl staring at her, dark eyes glinting brightly.

“Excuse me?” Pearl asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.

The girl smirked. “Bad exes right?” she said, nodding towards Pearl’s drink.

Pearl followed her gaze, then sighed. “I-I suppose.”

The girl smiled with an air of something that was perhaps sympathy. Without asking, she sat down on the stool beside Pearl.

Pearl couldn’t help the heat that rose in her cheeks at the other girl’s close distance. Carefully she stole a glance at the other girl.

She was pale skinned, almost glowing in the dark light of the bar. Dark smears of makeup were painted across her eyelids and lips, giving her a dark edge. Every finger had some kind of artistic silver ring, unique and strange.

A crop top blared a thin stomach, showing more pale skin.

But none of this was what made Pearl stare.

Her hair, which was cropped short in a fluttering cloud around her cheekbones, was a brilliant blue. It shown in the bar’s trashy lighting, and Pearl couldn’t help herself.

She very blatantly stared.

The girl noticed.

She smiled deviously, her teeth glinting white. “I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ve met properly. What’s your name?”

Pearl gripped her drink tighter. “Shouldn’t you tell me yours first? I mean, isn’t that fair?”

The girl stared at her for a moment, then let out a dry laugh. “That’s fair.”

The bartender came over, and the girl turned, ordering some kind of drink. She ordered with far more confidence than Pearl had.

She must have been a regular at this place.

To be fair, it wasn’t like there were many bars around that were willing to sell so blatantly to minors. The bartender left, and the girl shifted her attention back to Pearl.

Pearl swallowed another swig of her drink, the foul liquid rushing and burning all the way down her throat. She must have made a terrible face, because the girl laughed out loud at her expression.

Pearl swallowed again, trying her best not to cough and kill whatever dignity she had left.

“Are you ever going to tell me your name?” Pearl asked again.

The girl smiled. “It’s Lapis. You?”

Pearl shrugged. What did it matter?

“Pearl.”

Lapis smiled in that way that made Pearl tingle. “That’s a pretty name.”

Pearl flushed slightly at the complement. “Thanks. Yours- you have a pretty name too.”

Lapis grinned. Her eyes glinting in a magical way, Lapis leaned forward, her lips a breath away from Pearl’s ear. “Just so you know, I only tell the cute girls my name.”

Pearl was sure she was blushing down to her shoulders now. “A-Are you…flirting with me?” Pearl stammered.

It was truly a stupid question, but Pearl honestly wanted to make sure, and she wasn’t just completely misinterpreting the entire situation.

Lapis shifted back, and she looked a bit surprised. “You got a boyfriend?”

Pearl shook her head.

“Girlfriend?” Another shake.

Lapis smiled widely. “Then yes. I’m completely flirting with you.” Lapis said casually, taking a sip of her drink.

Pearl blinked, staring at Lapis. “Really?”

Pearl kicked herself for sounding so surprised.

Lapis didn’t answer for a moment. Then she grinned, those dark eyes glancing sideways towards Pearl. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.”

The thundering music seemed to turn into some kind of mindless, gravely drivel in Pearl’s mind. She blinked, her head beginning to throb. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to drink so much on her first time.

She felt herself sway slightly on her stool, before a steading hand grabbed firmly onto her forearm. “Hey there. This your first time?” Lapis asked, eyes studying over Pearl’s face.

Pearl nodded dizzily. “You want some air?”

Pearl hesitated. She didn’t know this girl. Lapis could be a murderer for all she knew. But with those glittering blue eyes staring at her, Pearl found herself nodding, and letting Lapis lead her out of the bar.

It turned out that Lapis wasn’t, in fact, a serial killer. Or at least, if she was, she currently didn’t seem to be interested in killing Pearl.

They walked around for a little while, Pearl trying to breathe, exhale, anything that might clear her head.

Lapis had moved her grip from Pearl’s arm to her fingers, which Pearl didn’t find herself minding all that much. Lapis’s rings were cool against her thin fingers, and she rather liked the chill.

They ended up in a park, which was very likely unsafe, but Pearl was too tired to care. Lapis noticed, and kindly suggested that they sit down on a bench before poor Pearl had a chance to pass out.

They sat in silence for a little while.

“You feeling any better?” Lapis asked eventually.

Pearl shook her head. “Not really. My head feels like a knife is being stabbed into it.”

Lapis sighed. “I hate to tell you this, but that’s only gonna be worse tomorrow morning.”

Pearl let her head hang back, letting a rather ungraceful groan escape her lips. Lapis laughed.

“Babe, that’s my feelings exactly.”

Pearl shifted, placing her head in her hands.

“You alright?”

Pearl couldn’t form straight thoughts, if that meant she wasn’t okay then she didn’t know anymore.

Slowly Pearl raised her eyes, to see Lapis staring back at her, hair and eyes glinting with blue light. Pearl suddenly realized that she couldn’t breath.

“L-Lapis. Earlier, when you said that you were flirting with me, did- did you mean it?”

Lapis was silent, but her eyes never left Pearl’s. Finally she spoke.

“Of course. I don’t lie about things like that.”

Pearl’s heart felt like it might burst from her chest, as her eyes can’t help but catch onto random details: the rings that Lapis wears, the way her eyes are perfectly framed by dark thick lashes, or the way her cropped blue hair curls against the nape of her neck, some how making it seem longer in the process.

“Pearl?” Lapis asked, arching an eyebrow.

She was staring. But she couldn’t take her eyes off of the girl beside her.

Pearl bit her lip. Suddenly she moves, and presses her lips against Lapis.

Lapis gasps, but doesn’t pull away.

She’s kissing Pearl, actually kissing her back.

Pearl buries her hands in that gorgeous blue hair, and Lapis shifts so their chests are practically flush against one another’s. Everything’s happening so fast Pearl’s brain is lagging, it simply can’t keep up.

But as Lapis moves her lips against Pearl’s ever so lovelily, she finds that thinking is completely overrated.

Lapis’s hand moves onto Pearl’s neck, curling itself into Pearl’s hair. The metal on the rings she wears are cold against Pearl’s skin. Pearl gasps a little, shivering.

They kiss for another moment, then Lapis pulls back. Pearl whimpers a little at the loss of contact.

“I-is everything okay? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve done that, I just-“

Lapis cuts her off with a shake of her head. “No, you’re fine.”

She shifts, resting her elbows against her knees. Slowly Lapis sighs.

Pearl’s mind is still reeling a bit, between the drinks and kissing she can barely think straight. Lapis is silent and not looking at Pearl, and suddenly she understands.

She’s upset that Pearl had kissed her. She’s mad.

Pearl is suddenly overcome with emotion, and all the drinks that her body is currently hating her for, they all come swirling back. It is embarrassing, and any other time Pearl would’ve simply gotten up and ran away.

But she’s too embarrassed to move. So she just bursts into tears.

Sobs shake her body, and they’re not quiet. But she can’t bring herself to stop.

Lapis looks up at that. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? A-are you all right?” she asks, a little shakily.

Pearl sniffles. “It’s just- every time I kiss a girl, she hates me for it!” she says through extremely undignified sobs.

Lapis stares at her, dark eyes wide with surprise. “What? You think I don’t like you?”

Pearl nods.

Lapis frowns. “Of course I like you. You’re smart and funny and gorgeous.” She leans forward, scooting closer to Pearl. “You just also happen to be very drunk. And I don’t kiss people when they’re drunk.”

Pearl frowns. “Do I have bad breath?” she says, concerned to know.

Lapis stares at her for a second, then she snorts. “You have very nice breath. It just isn’t fair to kiss someone when they’re not in control of their actions. I had an ex who did that; I told her no, yet she’d take me out and once I was gone, she’d do whatever she wanted with me.”

Pearl sniffs, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry.” she murmurs.

Lapis shrugs carelessly. “Don’t be. I dumped her sorry ass ages ago.”

They both sit back on the bench, silently staring up at the stars. Finally Lapis speaks.

“They’re always the same, aren’t they?”

Pearl glances at the girl beside her. “What’s the same?”

Lapis shrugs toward the night sky. “The stars. Even if life is changing they’re always the same. They never change.” Pearl nods slowly.

“My grandma, she always told me that the stars were special, because no one owned them. They belong to everyone, and no one all at the same time.” she says, quiet.

Lapis smiles at that. “She sounds cool.”

Pearl smiles softly. “Yeah.”

They’re silent for a while after that, both lost in thought. The silence isn’t awkward though. It’s peaceful.

The wind blows gently, ruffling Pearl’s hair slightly.

Lapis glances over at her from the corner of her eye. After a moment she slowly reaches over, and laces her fingers with Pearl’s long ones.

Pearl glances down at their enjoined hands, her eyes widening with surprise.

With a slight shift of her body, Lapis turns to look at her, dark blue eyes boring into Pearl’s. They catch the faint starlight around them, making her eyes gleam in the darkness.

Lapis’s thumb rubs against the palm of Pearl’s hand, and she can feel the breath catch in her throat.

“Pearl?” Lapis asks softly. She exhales before continuing. “You-would you want to hang out sometime?” she asks hesitantly, her eyes watching Pearl’s reaction closely.

Pearl stares at her, unclear on what exactly is happening. “Do-do you mean like friends, or-“ Pearl hates how her voice falters. But Lapis grins.

“No. I mean, as in, a date. With me.” she clarifies.

Pearl’s mind is spinning, probably from the alcohol, but she also knows that it’s not that at all. Slowly she finds herself nodding. “Okay.” she says stupidly.

But Lapis doesn’t seem to mind, and smiles in a way that is somehow so beautiful, and Pearl can’t understand why.

The rest of the night Pearl only remembers in the way one would recall a hazy dream.

She gives Lapis her phone, and the other girl puts in her number. Then Lapis asks her if she can get herself home, and Pearl answers that her college campus is only a short walk.

Lapis smirks in the way only she can make look attractive, and tells Pearl that they’re actually going to the same school. Then she loops her arm with Pearl’s, and they walk back to the dorms together, talking about nothingness along the way.

Pearl learns more things about Lapis on the way.

That her favorite color used to be blue but now she prefers purple, that she hates soft drinks, but still drinks them sometimes, or her star sign is Aquarius.

Pearl listens to all of it, and she can’t help it.

The way Lapis talks, with such a soft gentle voice, yet it has such focus and strength within it. Or the way that she doesn’t let go of Pearl’s hand till they’re back at the dorms.

They stop at the place where they have to part.

Lapis lets go of her hand, but her eyes are still boring into Pearl.

“Pearl?” she says finally.

“What?”

“Are you still drunk?”

Truthfully, Pearl isn’t sure. She shrugs.

Lapis bites her lip. Then, ever so slowly, she leans into Pearl, pressing a feather light kiss against her lips. The kiss is chaste and gentle, and over far too soon as Lapis pulls away.

Pearl stares at her, silently pleading. Lapis shakes her head. “That’s all for tonight. You need to get some rest.”

Slowly she pushes Pearl towards her door. Pearl turns to leave, when Lapis speaks again.

“And Pearl?”

Pearl turns curiously. Lapis smiles widely. “I mean for you to call me Pearl. Do it soon.”

Pearl stares at her, before she nods.

Lapis grins, before she turns, disappearing into the night. Pearl stares after her for a moment, before she closes the door.

Her heart feels lighter that night than it has in a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wrote this because I was bored and thought why not. I'm not sure if I want to write more, or just leave it as a one shot type of thing. What do you guys think? I really dunno. Although, now I'm kinda wanting to write more...;P


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